Hopelessly Clueless
by Merchant Prince
Summary: AU: An agreement made years before has finally reared its head. Ensnaring both Mayumi Saegusa and Masaki Ichijo, this agreement pushes them together; forcing them to learn how to work with each other as they try to find a way out of the situation they now find themselves in. However, will genuine affection develop between them as they try their hardest to break free?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Mahouka. **

**Chapter 1**

Mayumi collapsed to her bed, her dark hair splaying out across the sterile fabric. The petite girl couldn't find it in herself to adjust her sundress; even though it was hitching up too far along her legs to be 'decent.' After the numerous events of the day, the Saegusa child just wanted to turn in. But the banquet capping off the start of the Nine Schools Competition would be occurring in a couple of hours, and she needed to be present.

Although she would never truly complain, the work that was required of her – due to being the student council president and leader of the first high team – was starting to tax on her. This was especially true since she had no desire to be around anyone else right now. Sighing, she shoved her face into one of the extremely plush pillows. Letting out a scream, muffled by the fabric, she started pounding on the bed.

Her life wasn't fair. Why did she have to be the perfect aristocratic daughter? Propping herself up on her elbows, she glared at the pillow. Imagining her father's face, she started to furiously punch the pillow, releasing her frustration. There was no reason he had to tell her this information so soon. Couldn't he have let her go on blissfully for a while longer?

She knew that her father was determined to find a suitable candidate for marriage, but that didn't mean she had to know that one was already decided upon. Shoving her face into the pillow again, she let out another scream. Why did this have to happen just as she found someone that she wanted to be with?

An image of Tatsuya flashed through her mind. She had wanted a chance to get to know him. She wanted a chance to see if he could reciprocate the feelings that she was developing for him.

"Mayumi?" her roommate's voice broke through her tantrum, startling her.

"Mari, what are you doing here?" she asked, rushing to wipe away the tears starting in her eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be helping the others settle in?"

The short haired teen moved her way over to her friend and sat down beside her.

"I could ask you the same thing," she answered. "But you ran off as soon as we were given our room keys. Is everything alright?"

Mayumi tried to find something to say to Mari – something that would manage to divert the girl's attention. However, she knew that her friend would keep up. It was sort of an agreement they had. Even though things rarely got to this point, if either of them needed someone to speak to, the other would be there. And if they were turned down, they would keep harping until the other relented and spoke their mind.

The few times that they had needed to do this, the two had managed to provide suitable emotional support for each other. Mayumi could even recall feeling significantly better after their sessions.

Deciding it was worth a risk, the 18-year-old fully recomposed herself. Ready to speak, she gestured for her friend to take a seat beside her. Once Mari had found a spot, Mayumi started speaking, letting her emotions loose. Mari was a patient listener, something she always made sure to do for her, and kept quiet as the story was told. Once Mayumi had finished, her friend sat for a moment – musing on what she had been told – before responding.

"Your father has terrible timing, doesn't he?"

Staring blankly at the other girl, Mayumi felt her jaw drop. While she didn't disagree with the sentiment, she couldn't believe that Mari had decided to bring it up first. More importantly, she couldn't believe that her friend had decided to ignore the fact that she was already betrothed.

"Is that all you have to say?" Mayumi demanded; her face flushing as she once again worked herself up. "What about the fact that my father has already chosen who I'm supposed to marry, or the fact that my mother had agreed to this? Doesn't either of those facts leave an impression?"

"Of course they do," Mari countered. "I just don't know what to think of the fact. To already have a husband waiting for you, and one who is younger than you as well, is unthinkable; at least by the standards of my family. Even among the Ten Master Clans this is unusual… I think."

Mari started to go off on a tangent, but Mayumi wasn't willing to let that happen.

"You're so lucky," she said, in an attempt to refocus the conversation. "You don't have to worry about this. You've got your precious Nao all to yourself. You chose him. I don't even get the chance to see if the boy I like could like me back."

The bitterness in her tone, while stopping Mari from ranting, didn't hide the last portion of her statement from her friend. However, the short-haired girl seemed to decide against pursuing the topic, instead refocusing on Mayumi's troubles.

"Now I'm stuck with someone who I can't even guarantee I'll like. Let alone be able to stand living with for the rest of my life," Mayumi continued.

Her words seemed to be attempting to pull a joke from Mari, but the other girl stopped herself, forcibly, from speaking. Whatever it was that she had to say didn't seem to be necessary.

"Don't worry. There's got to be some way to work around this," Mari offered, placing a hand on Mayumi's shoulder.

"My father did say that there was one possibility," Mayumi said, perking up ever so slightly.

"And…" Mari beckoned for Mayumi to continue.

The other girl wasn't paying attention, instead one of her trademark grins spread across her face. Eyes alight; it was obvious that she had a plan. Sighing, Mari let the girl go about her motions. Once Mayumi got an idea, there was very little chance that she could be stopped. Not unless her father put his foot down.

Running to her luggage, Mayumi tore it open; pulling out her uniform. Stripping off her sundress, the teen slipped into the elegant uniform dress, placing the fine green overcoat on top. Making sure that the ensemble was immaculate; she put on her 'public face' and strode out of the room – as if the previous conversation never happened.

Staring at her friend, Mari fought back a sigh. Whatever First High's student council president had in mind, it was surely going to be disastrous.

End Chapter 1

**A/N: Alright, here is my first attempt at a Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei fanfic. In this case, I'm writing a fic about a crack-pairing that would obviously never happen in canon (nor do I expect it to even have a chance). I just thought I'd have some fun with characters who aren't Tatsuya, and I adore Mayumi, so this kind of fell together. Anyway, events will be altered from canon slightly during the 9SC, but will get even more altered in subsequent arcs. So, this technically is an AU fic, but I have no plans to change any of the workings or structure of the magic system. If there are any questions, please feel free to PM me, I'm always willing to chat (though life may prevent me from responding quickly). Until the next chapter, which will hopefully be soon, enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Mahouka. **

**Chapter 2**

The banquet that preceded all events in the Nine Schools Competition was one of Mayumi's favourite parts of the event. Attending for the fourth time, having been able to join one of her older half-brother's numerous years earlier, she was just as enamored with the effort that was put into it as always. Reminiscent of the European balls that she had read about, Mayumi just wished that it would one day be set up as a masquerade. At least, that's what she attempted to currently occupy her mind with, trying her hardest not to look over at the group of Third High students.

Masaki Ichijou, the heir-apparent of the Ichijou family. A participant in the battle in Sado three years earlier, he earned himself the title 'Crimson Prince.' Running through this information in her head, Mayumi knew that the one thing that she could say for sure about her father was that he was thorough. When he had told her who she was going to be marrying, he had provided her with a dossier on the boy. All the information that was available on him, as well as some she was certain wasn't as readily available, had been at her fingertips.

Making sure that she wasn't even tempted to look in the direction she knew he'd be in, Mayumi set her sights upon Tatsuya. Hovering near the far wall, the first year was trying his hardest to remain inconspicuous. It was obvious that he was uncomfortable in this situation, but Mayumi couldn't help herself – she found it adorable watching his attempts at stoicism; especially when the serving staff started to talk with him.

"Watanabe-san told me something was up, do you want to talk about it?" a familiar voice asked from beside her, drawing Mayumi's attention away from her underclassman.

"Rin-chan, there's nothing to worry about. I've got a plan," Mayumi said, turning to face her friend.

Suzune Ichihara didn't seem to buy her words, but dropped the topic as the banquet continued. Although Mayumi truly trusted her, there was nothing to talk about in such a crowded area. There was no way that she was going to let there be even the slightest possibility of gossip develop from this situation. So keeping quiet about the details was currently for the best.

Turning her attention back to Tatsuya, she could see that he was deep in conversation with one of the serving staff. Fighting back a wave of jealousy, she started to move towards them. Tatsuya shouldn't be hovering near the wall; he was a part of the team too. With that in mind, she started making her way towards her stoic underclassman.

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Masaki was extremely uncomfortable. Although he was the scion of the Ichijou family, he had never liked formal banquets and balls like this. They always made him uncomfortable, especially the gaggle of girls who would follow him around like puppies. He was never rude to them, but there were plenty of times he wished he could have just told them to leave him alone – in less friendly terms than that.

To add even more insult to injury, he knew that his fiancée was among the First High students that were conversing in huddled groups a short distance away. The fact that his father had decided to tell him about this just before leaving for the Nine Schools Competition had been a real blow to his morale. And the fact that she was two years older than him; what was that about? Couldn't his father have made it any more awkward for him?

'She'll probably think I'm just some punk kid,' he mused.

Pushing that thought aside, he refocused on the conversation currently occurring. Even though he didn't like the amount of attention his 'fan club,' as George liked to call them, gave him, he wasn't about to drop out of a conversation without good reason. Listening to his fellow classmates discuss who they needed to watch out for, as well as any other points of information they wished to bring up about their fellow participants in the games, Masaki nearly choked when he heard the name Mayumi Saegusa come up.

Panicking for a moment, thinking that someone, other than George, knew about his apparent engagement to the woman, he calmed considerably when he realized that they were discussing her as competition in the events; not in relation to him.

"Excuse me for a moment, I'm going to go get some more to drink," Masaki said, his throat feeling dry after his moment of panic.

Walking away from the Third High group, he sought out one of the serving staff. With all the food and drink being provided purely by the staff, there was a necessity to communicate with them in order to acquire more.

As he made his way towards the young woman who was carrying a tray of glasses, he felt a presence in front of him. Stopping, hoping to avoid a collision, his eyes were drawn in by the beauty of the girl walking past him. Skin as white as snow, dark, straight hair that extended down her back, and a clearly blossoming womanly figure all drew Masaki's attention.

A blush spread across his face as she passed him. Watching her head towards a dark haired male over near the wall, he let out a sigh. Of course she would already have a boyfriend. A girl like that would definitely be scooped up as soon as possible. Granted, he didn't need to worry about those sorts of things. After all, he already had a fiancée.

His mood darkening further, he decided that it would be for the best that he just grabbed his drink and returned to the others from Third High. At least there, he would be able to focus on the upcoming competitions, rather than his messed up personal life.

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A grin spread across Mayumi's face. Although she hadn't been able to make her way towards Tatsuya before his sister had started attempting to return to him, she had noticed her intended cross paths with the girl. Interested to see what would happen, Mayumi wasn't disappointed with what she received.

The blush that had spread across Masaki's face when Miyuki walked past him was wonderful. Now, her brain working out all the necessary details, she had the next part of her plan.

Walking back to the rest of the First High group, she vaguely noticed worried expressions on both Mari and Suzune's faces. Ignoring them, she fell right into conversation with the others; as if she had never left.

Once the banquet was done, she would find a way to speak with Masaki. If she could get him onto her side – attempting to annul the marriage – then things would go a lot easier. Grinning mischievously, she had to fight the urge to rub her hands in anticipation. Things were looking up for her, and maybe she'd be able to stick it to her father while she was at it.

End Chapter 2

**A/N: Alright, here is the second chapter. Masaki makes his first appearance and his opinion on the marriage is given; at least, a start of an opinion. I'm hoping to make him come across as more shell shocked by the information than Mayumi was. Anyway, on a different note, I'm extremely surprised by the response to this fic. I didn't expect it to hit off like it has, and am greatly excited to see that I've got expectations to live up to. Thanks for all the comments, and I hope to keep updating relatively quickly on this story. So, until next time, I hope you enjoyed. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Mahouka. **

**Chapter 3**

The hallway outside the banquet hall was quiet; most of the students had already left to go to their rooms in preparation for the next morning. However, Mayumi wasn't ready to turn in. Although she knew that she needed to get some rest – her preliminaries for the speed shooting being one of the first events the next morning – she needed to speak with Masaki.

After seeing his reaction to Miyuki, she absolutely needed to get him on board with her plan. If she could convince him to actually attempt to woo Miyuki over, then Mayumi knew she would be able to have a chance to communicate with Tatsuya. The only problem was getting Masaki on her side –well that and getting past the siblings' tendency to be attached at the hip. As much as Tatsuya claimed otherwise, Mayumi found it hard to believe that they weren't always connected.

Taking breath, she watched as the Third High students finished filtering out of the hall. Although they were some of the first ones there, when the event started, they seemed to be the last leaving. Almost as if they wanted to scout out all the other schools. If that was what they had been up to, then Mayumi found it hard to fault them for waiting. But right now, she didn't care too much for their reasons. She needed to catch Masaki. Speaking with him tonight would alleviate a lot of stress.

"Are you waiting for someone?"

The voice that pulled Mayumi out of her thoughts sounded disinterested; as if the speaker had little interest in her presence, but felt obliged to speak anyway. Turning to look at the speaker, she found herself confronted with a young man standing only a few inches taller than her. His short cut, dark hair suited him, and helped to frame his red eyes. Taking in his expression, her earlier assumption that he was disinterested was set as fact.

"Um…" Mayumi started, unsure of what to say. "Yes, I am."

The young man nodded, and Mayumi finally noticed that his uniform identified him as a Third High student. Running through the options in her mind, she weighed the pros and cons of asking the student for Masaki's presence. But, even though she didn't want to marry the boy, she didn't want to cause any unneeded rumours from starting the night before the competitions started.

"You're looking for Ichijou, are you not?" the young man asked, startling Mayumi from her thoughts.

Hesitant about answering, Mayumi decided that it was safe to say 'yes.' Even if anything was suspected, rumours were going to start no matter what, so if a Third High student was willing to help her, then she would take that help.

"Yes, I am looking for Ichijou," she finally said. "Do you know where he is?"

"He left a bit early, so he'll be in his room. Is there anywhere you'd like him to meet you?"

The young man was completely calm during their interaction. It almost seemed as if he could care less about even speaking to her. But Mayumi could identify it as a facade. Beneath his disinterested expression, she could see his eyes carefully watching her; as if he were sizing her up as a potential threat. If she wasn't used to all the stares she acquired from her fellow First High students, she would have found it unnerving.

"Could you please ask him to meet me in the lobby," she requested, having come up with a destination.

Not so unusual that anyone would suspect anything, but not so difficult to have a private conversation; what with all the possible locations accessible from the lobby. It was the best she could come up with in a public location like the hotel.

"I'll let him know that you're looking for him," the young man said, starting to move away from her.

As he turned the corner, heading away from the hallway, Mayumi finally realized who she had been talking to. Shinkurou Kichijouji, also known as Cardinal George. He is the only person to discover one of the sixteen cardinal codes. The fact that she had spoken to him, and hadn't recognized him, was a slap in the face to the Saegusa daughter.

As a member of the leading family of the Ten Master Clans, she should have recognized him on the spot. What he had done so far in his life, it made him a major figure within the research world. Dumbfounded by her lack of foresight, she made her way towards the lobby.

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Masaki paced his room, trying his hardest to settle himself down. Although he had the option of using a machine to help himself get to sleep, he always found that naturally tiring himself out before a major event helped him more than the machine. It was an unfounded belief, nothing he claimed it helped had ever been proven, but he refused to change this habit.

He was also eagerly awaiting George's return. His friend had decided to remain in the banquet hall until the others had filtered out, something Masaki couldn't bring himself to do. With the events of the day, he had no desire to stick around any longer than he had to. But George seemed to want a chance to scout any potential opposition in the games. Before the Speed Shooting competition that started in the morning, Third High would have their strategy meeting. And this was where his friend's skills would truly shine.

George was a master at his craft, and his craft was strategy. Combine that with Masaki's own penchant for on the field tactics, and the two made for a very vicious team. Although First High was currently highest in the standings for most events, Third High was pretty much set for the newcomer division of Monolith Code. Thinking about it gave Masaki a chance to forget about the situation his father had put him in.

"Masaki, your fiancée wants to speak with you."

The deadpan delivery of George's line startled Masaki. Nearly leaping out of his skin, the Ichijou heir whirled on his friend.

"What was that for George?" he demanded; his breathing erratic.

"I was asked by your fiancée to send you to the hotel's lobby, she wishes to speak with you," George answered.

That stalled any further complaint from Masaki. Instead, he broke out in a cold sweat, wondering if there was a way to get out of this meeting.

"Maybe I should feign illness. That would be believable. The food tonight was rich, she doesn't know how well I handle that sort of stuff," he mumbled, not realizing that George was listening closely.

"I'm only the messenger, although I do suggest dealing with her soon. She seems like one who will trap you into a conversation if you don't."

George's words shut Masaki up. However, they didn't calm him down. Instead, he started to panic further. How was he going to speak with her? Mayumi Saegusa wasn't a girl; she was on the cusp of womanhood, and nearly a graduate from high school. How was he supposed to approach her?

Sure, he never gave his 'fan club' the time of day. Nor did he express much interest in the opposite sex; at least, not outwardly. But that didn't mean he wasn't interested, or that he wasn't able to be made into a stuttering mess around the right women. And from the images he had been seen, Mayumi was gorgeous.

"You're fretting about it again. Have you been able to relax at all since you received the news?" George asked.

"No."

Masaki didn't have much else to say. Even though he rarely, if ever, went against his father's wishes, he wasn't sure he could successfully complete this objective. If he were truthful, Masaki would say that he was absolutely terrified of the prospect. He was essentially marrying up within the Ten Master Clans.

Seeing as they were currently the 'leader' of the Ten Master Clans, the Saegusa family held a lot of power. Not that the Ichijou family was insignificant by any means. It was just that they didn't rank as highly as the Saegusa family. A natural occurrence when the seats of power shifted every four years.

Although one they are one of the 28, the Ichijou family had left the main ten on three occasions in the past thirty years; sitting on the fringes for a few years before returning to power. However, the Saegusa had remained in the ten throughout those years, not once leaving the main ten. It was an impressive status to hold, and one that made Masaki extremely nervous.

How would he be able to live up to the expectations of his future bride? Would she just view him as a punk kid, or a nuisance? Would he become a puppet husband, the face of the Ichijou family being manipulated to work towards goals that he did not agree with?

As the questions ran through his mind, he didn't notice George move towards his luggage. By the time he turned to face his friend, George was already in his pyjamas; sitting on the edge of his bed.

"You should really go speak with her. We need to be up pretty early in the morning," he said, watching Masaki closely.

"But…"

Masaki only managed to get the one word out, as George cut him off.

"We both know that you want to speak with her yourself. However, right now you're acting like a child," he began. "I don't know what I'd be like in this situation, but I do know that you'll never calm down unless you go and talk to her. She didn't seem like she'd try to kill you."

A sigh escaped from Masaki's lips. That wasn't very comforting, but he couldn't argue with his friend's words. Standing tall, he mentally prepared himself to head down to the lobby. Despite his nervousness, he would not make a fool out of his family name. He would present himself as the heir he is.

"Get going," George said, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Alright, I'm going," Masaki said, squaring his shoulders.

Opening up the door, he stepped out and started towards the lobby.

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Mayumi was starting to get impatient. What was taking so long? Had she asked the wrong person to go and get Masaki? Would he even show up?

Those questions ran through her mind as she fought back the urge to start pacing. Her father consistently reprimanded her for that habit, and she had managed to get better at hiding it. However, this wait was starting to get to her. She needed to get to bed soon, her Speed Shooting competition was first thing in the morning, and without rest her effort wouldn't be as skilled as usual. Mayumi couldn't accept that. But this was also very important, and would have longer lasting effects. A less than perfect Speed Shooting competition was forgivable. Not getting her plan in motion was not.

Turning, her eyes caught sight of her desired target. Walking towards her, nervousness noticeable in his steps, the brunette youth was quite different up close. His impressive height, putting him at about the same as Tatsuya, caused Mayumi's breath to catch.

"I'm here, what did you need to talk about?"

End Chapter 3

**A/N: Alright, the third chapter is done. I'm quite excited that I've been able to focus on this story so much. Anyway, I hope that my interpretations of Masaki and George are relatively in character. I'm reading the novels as we speak (intermittently with a few other books *cough* Name of the Wind *cough*), but have yet to reach their entrance into the story. So, if there's anything glaringly wrong, please feel free to let me know. I'm trying to keep the characters as in character as possible, but there's always a chance I'm missing something. On another note, I'm going to be taking this romance slow – so all of those who want them to leap at each other… I'm sorry, but that's not happening in this story. I hope that those who aren't offended by that still enjoy, and until next time please feel free to PM me, or leave a review, if there's any thoughts or suggestions.**

**P.S. I hate doing this to readers, but yes... the plan will be discussed next chapter. Don't worry, I do not intend to keep everyone hanging on what Mayumi's scheming for much longer. This chapter just gained a suitable closing point, and I didn't want to waste it. Also, the Nine Schools Competition will be starting in full soon, so there's going to be some fun to be had there as well. Please look forward to it. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Mahouka. **

**Chapter 4**

"I'm here, what did you need to talk about?"

He wanted to leave then and there. A blush staining his face, Masaki knew that he must have sounded like an idiot when he approached. His words probably made it seem like he was trying to act cool. How stupid did that make him look?

"Oh, you're making me blush, talking like that," Mayumi said, placing a hand upon her cheek. "There's no need to be so forceful."

As she tilted her head, a pensive expression on her face, Masaki felt his nervousness increase. Had he insulted her? Was he already putting himself down the path of making an enemy with the woman he was required to spend the rest of his life with?

"That's not what I meant," Masaki blurted out, ignoring propriety; attempting desperately to salvage the situation. "It's been a long day. This news was given to me this morning, and I didn't expect to be talking with you so soon."

Giggling, the young woman covered her mouth in what looked like an attempt to stifle a full blown laugh. Feeling even more embarrassed, Masaki turned his face to the ground. Now he had truly made himself look like a fool. This was the perfect first meeting between him and his intended. She was already older than him, now he couldn't even speak to her without looking stupid; was his father just trying to make his future bleak and miserable?

"Sorry, I… shouldn't be teasing you," she started. "I'm in the same situation. It's not entirely clear what my father thought by telling me today."

As she started to mumble, Masaki released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Having little experience interacting with women outside of social gatherings, and even then most were around the age of his sisters, he had no idea if he had offended her; even with his desperate back-pedalling. The fact that she seemed to be laughing put him at ease. Actually, the fact that she seemed just as thrown off by the whole ordeal made him more comfortable with the idea of continuing the conversation.

"I was told that we were expected to wed upon my graduation from university," he said, attempting to move the conversation forward. "It was supposed to give us enough time to get to know each other."

"And they wanted to give us a chance to meet and interact in a setting where our 'relationship' didn't have to be revealed," Mayumi began, following the line of information. "It was supposed to make it easier for us."

The young woman nodded as if she were affirming something. Going silent once again, Masaki felt the awkwardness returning. Avoiding the desire to stamp his feet in an attempt to break the silence, the sixteen-year-old felt mildly proud of himself. Despite everything he was feeling, he was actually making progress, or so he thought. Maybe he would have to thank George for forcing him to meet up with his fiancée.

"I wanted to talk with you about finding a way out of the marriage," Mayumi said, drawing Masaki's attention back to her.

"A way out?" he repeated lamely, trying to process where she was coming from. "Doesn't that go against what your family wishes?"

Mayumi's posture shifted, looking more haggard and uneasy than before. A sigh escaped from her as she seemed to put her thoughts in order, leaving Masaki to wait for her to speak up again.

"It does," she finally said. "But I can assure you that not all of my family would support this is they had known at the time."

Masaki watched her, waiting for anything more to be said. Her tone made her sound, ever-so-slightly, guilty. But that didn't change the fact that he couldn't quite wrap his head around her desire to go against her family.

"Is this so that you can spite your father?" he asked.

"No," she said quickly. "Not entirely."

Taking a pause, Mayumi seemed to collect her thoughts before continuing.

"I mean no offense to you," she started up. "It's just that I cannot accept my father's desire to marry me off. I refuse to just be a political tool for forging alliances. I want to make my own decisions in life."

The young woman had worked herself up, and Masaki had to avert his eyes to not stare at her. She left an imposing, and extremely attractive, sight. And right now, he knew exactly what was needed to not offend her: a lack of interest.

"So, you're doing this to gain freedom?" he asked, his eyes straying away from her.

"Yes. I'm not the heir to the family. I want some say in my life," Mayumi ranted.

Masaki let out a sigh. He understood that things were tough on members of the Ten Master Clans. He was one himself. But he could never understand the desire to defy the head of the family. His father had allowed him to fight for Sado when the New Soviet Union attacked. That was not something that any 13-year-old, no matter what family they belonged to, would be given the chance to do.

However, he could see what Mayumi was hinting at. If anyone tried to arrange a marriage for either of his sisters, he knew that he would be kept out of the negotiations. He refused to allow them to suffer such a fate. Being the eldest, he would shoulder any burdens for the family; he would not place them on his siblings.

"Alright, what do you propose?"

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Mayumi's heart lifted as she heard Masaki's question. She could see that he was nervous about what she was proposing. Being the eldest child of the Ichijou family would hold a lot of pressure over him. Pressure that she couldn't even begin to imagine, seeing as her father didn't tell her what was expected of her older brothers. Whatever had convinced him though, she wasn't going to waste it.

Gathering her thoughts, she made certain that she had everything together. If she couldn't convince him to go along with her plan, then things would be far more difficult; especially since he could ruin her plans by alerting her father. However, the risk was worth it, and, somehow, she doubted he'd interfere with her.

"I'm suggesting that we find other people," she said.

"Huh?"

Masaki clearly didn't understand what she was saying. But Mayumi wasn't worried. He had given her the reaction she wanted. Confusion would allow her to elaborate and, hopefully, make him side with her.

"I mean that we find other people to marry. Invalidate the arranged marriage by finding others for each of us," she continued.

"What are you talking about? That's not a plan, that's a dream," Masaki nearly shouted, catching himself soon after he started.

"No, this is the best plan that we have. I'm already pursuing someone," Mayumi retorted. "And I've seen how you reacted to one of my kohai."

Masaki blushed as she brought up Miyuki, a smirk spreading across her face. She had him now.

"Alright, so I was attracted to that girl. I don't even know her name, or anything about her. That's not enough to go on," Masaki defended.

"But are you willing to do the same with me?"

Masaki didn't have a response to her comment, and so she pressed onward.

"If we go with my plan, then you can have a chance to find someone who you want to be with. Not someone who you have to be with. Doesn't that sound appealing?"

"It… does," Masaki said. "But why should I believe that this would work?"

And there came the wall. Mayumi knew had a feeling that it would rear its head. But she didn't think that he'd be one of those sorts of people. From what she had read about him, she believed that he would be fairly gung-ho about the idea. Instead, he was more inquisitive than she had expected him to be.

"There's no guarantee," she finally said. "But I'm certain that this plan will work out. At the very least, if one of us can find someone, then it will be a success."

Masaki seemed to be studying her as she spoke, and Mayumi was starting to feel fairly self-conscious. It didn't feel like he was judging her, but it did seem as if he was weighing her words very carefully. It was an unusual feeling. Not many people put her under so much scrutiny. Granted that stemmed heavily from the fact that she would change the trajectory of their thoughts before they could even start. Now, she was completely at this younger man's mercy as he came to his conclusion.

"What do you need me to do?"

Mayumi grinned as she heard his question. He was on board.

End Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay, this was a tough chapter. I know it's been two months since I last posted for this story, and I apologize. The chapter went through four rewrites before I settled on one, as the interaction between the two just didn't feel right, to start. Now, I'm quite confident in this one and am eager to share it, so I hope it's enjoyable. The rest of the Nine Schools Competition will be starting up with the next chapter, and the plan will be going underway. So expect some more characters than just Masaki and Mayumi soon! Until then, **

**Merchant Prince**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Mahouka. **

**Chapter 5**

"You're finally up."

George's unimpressed timbre greeted Masaki as he made his way to the cafeteria. After listening to Mayumi detail her plan, countering every elaborate ploy that she presented – he was certain that 'fateful encounters' would not work – it had been well past the time he had intended to get to sleep. This had led to his current bout of, nearly, oversleeping. Granted, he didn't have to be awake for any of his own events, but that didn't mean he could sit out of the planning for his upperclassmen in the day's events.

Grabbing a small breakfast, the sixteen-year-old found a seat well out of the way of the rest of his classmates. Following, George settled in across from him giving him a look that indicated a need to talk. Not that Masaki would complain. Left to stew in his thoughts about his encounter with Mayumi, he needed to air off; even if it was only a slight amount.

"What happened last night?" George asked in a hushed voice.

Even though the two were a fair distance away from anyone who would hear, or care, it was still preferable to speak as if there were ears everywhere. It was a common lesson that the Ichijou family passed down; at least, since some incidents in the latter portion of the third world war.

And as an adopted member of the family, George took the lesson to heart. Something that Masaki was eternally grateful for. It made it easier to discuss things under time constraints.

"I agreed to help her break the contract," he said.

"How are you two going to be doing that? Aren't these contracts iron-clad?"

"You'd think so, but apparently Saegusa's read through it, or so she's told me. As long as one of us can prove that we've met someone who is a better partner for us, seeing as we're both in powerful positions, then the contract will be annulled," Masaki answered.

"So, she obviously has someone in mind for herself, does she not?" George inquired.

"Yes, that's what I felt too. Talking to her, it seemed like this was a greater inconvenience for her than it was for me."

"It probably was. She seems very spirited. Even though she's probably just as laden with responsibilities as you are," George said. "I wouldn't put it past her to be doing this out of spite."

Masaki nodded along to his friend. Shoving his fork into his meal, having chosen a western style meal to start his day, he stirred the eggs on his plate.

"There you two are. I expect you down at the command center in the next fifteen minutes," a booming voice stopped them from continuing their conversation.

Looking up from his food, the teen had to stop himself from choking as he saw the Third High student council president approach. Yatsushiro Sakata, the youngest cousin of the head of the Yatsushiro family, was always an imposing sight. Standing over six feet tall, and built like a tank, having him approach was usually never a good thing. For a student council president, he tended to stay as far away from his duties as possible; except when competitions were involved. Then he became deadly serious.

"Yes sir," George said, replying for the both of them.

Masaki was thankful that his friend spoke up. He was still trying to recover from choking.

"Don't make me come after you," Sakata said, glaring at the two of them.

"We won't sir," Masaki said, finally able to speak again.

Sakata nodded at them, before turning and marching out of the cafeteria. Once he was gone, both of the youths let out a sigh of relief.

"That was close," Masaki said, a grin spreading across his face.

"You better finish your breakfast or he's really going to drag us out there. We don't need him making the entirety of Third High look foolish," George replied, shaking his head.

Masaki agreed with his friend, swiftly downing the remainder of his meal. There was no point in worrying about this yet. Mayumi was going to be busy with the Speed Shooting competition, and he would be busy working with his school to make sure things worked out for his classmates.

Feeling more at ease than he had, Masaki rejoined George as the two exited the hotel to make their way towards the tents.

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She was exhausted and it was all her fault. Stifling back a yawn, Mayumi tried her best to look cheery and ready for the day. She was starting off the Nine Schools Competition with the Speed Shooting competition, and it would not do for her to make a fool of herself or First High. Her father would never stand for it, and neither would she.

"Is everything alright?" Juumonji Katsuto asked from beside her.

The leader of the Club Management Group, and a close friend of her family's, gave her a look as he waited for a response.

"It's nothing Juumonji-san," she said sweetly, hoping he would drop topic before it went anywhere.

Thankfully, he seemed to drop the topic with a huff before returning his attention to the approaching students. In the three hours before the start of the first event each of the schools would be going over their strategies. And while First High did have faculty advisors on hand, most of them seemed to leave all the decisions to the Big Three – Mari, Juumonji and herself.

It worked well the previous year, and they were hoping to have a repeat this year. But with the news she had received, and having spent time speaking – or arguing – with Masaki the night before, she wasn't as well rested as she normally would be. Thankfully she had Mari in the same boat.

Ignoring the glares that the short haired woman kept shooting in her direction, Mayumi focused on those who had been gathering. Tatsuya had yet to show up, as had many of the other first years. Not that it surprised her. The first years weren't expected yet, nor were the technicians. It was probably why there was a fuming Kanon over in the corner.

"Alright everyone, as you know today is the start of the 2095 Nine Schools Competition," Mayumi started, satisfied with the morning turn-out. "In less than three hours, we will begin the preliminaries for the Speed Shooting, and I'm expecting each of our participants to be ready to go."

A few cheers greeted Mayumi's words, and a small smile spread across her face. The rest of the First High students were ready to go, and that would be a benefit to the competition.

"So, let's go get warmed up. We don't want any other school to take victory here today," she continued, her energy returning.

Another set of cheers from her fellow students, and soon enough they filed out of the tent, heading to go warm themselves up. There was still an hour before the technicians showed up, where it would become time for them to go over all today's participants' CADs.

Sadly, Tatsuya would not be participating, seeing as he was only a technician for the first year students. Mayumi had hoped to have a moment to speak with him before the event. But that didn't seem like it would be possible on today.

"Don't ever keep me up that late again," Mari growled as soon as the other students had left.

Drawn out of her thoughts, Mayumi turned to look at her friend and gave an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think that I would talk for that long," she said. "I promise I'll try not to do that again."

"You better not," Mari said.

"Is there something I should know about?" Juumonji deadpanned, his tone indicating that he'd rather not know.

"Of course not Juumonji-san," Mayumi sang. "There's nothing you need to worry about. We'll behave for the competitions."

Suzune and Azusa stood off to the side, watching her carefully. Although Mayumi trusted Suzune, she hadn't had a chance to speak with her, and it was obvious that her friend wanted to know what the issue was. Azusa was just trying to blend into the background. For whatever reason, she had come earlier than necessary and was more of a presence in the tent than anything else.

"Well, I should get warming up myself. Don't want to let the school down," Mayumi said, moving towards the exit of the tent. "Wish me luck."

Stepping outside, she moved away from the entrance and leaned against one of the poles. Releasing her smile, she stared at the ground. Her nerves were getting to her. There was no doubt that she would astound in the preliminaries, she was prepared enough for that, but with everything that had been going on, she wasn't sure if she would be able to focus on the main competition.

Sighing, she was tempted to slap the sides of her face to get herself refocused, but weighed the flaming red marks, which would inevitably stay there, against her need to remain immaculate. While she was nowhere near as pale as Miyuki, her skin was fair enough that any marks would stay there longer than she wanted.

Keeping her hands away from her face, she pushed off of the pole. Putting on her best smile, she headed off to get herself warmed up before fine tuning her CAD. Today she would let her competitive side drive her. At least that would keep her mind off of everything else. Maybe she'd even impress Tatsuya. With that thought in mind, she headed over to where the other Speed Shooting competitors had gathered.

End Chapter 5

**A/N: We're finally into the Nine Schools Competition. This chapter set up the next day, and the chapter following, which shouldn't take too long, will be focused on setting up some changes to what occurs in canon. Also, some more Third High OCs will be showing up (since we know next to nothing about the school) and will be playing a fairly important role in this take on the Nine Schools Competition; especially since Masaki's events will be shown off from his POV. So, I hope that this was an enjoyable chapter, and until next time, **

**Merchant Prince**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Mahouka. **

**Chapter 6**

Sweat dripped down her forehead as she shouldered her rifle. Having just finished the first round of the preliminaries, Mayumi was ready for a quick break. Her throat was dry and her body tired after casting that much magic with as little sleep as she had.

Grabbing the water bottle that had been left for her, she barely managed to prevent herself from guzzling the entire thing down. The cool liquid, constantly being chilled by the special water bottle, was a relief. With the finals waiting for her later in the day, Mayumi couldn't allow herself to show any weakness to her opponents, and finishing off her water too quickly would be a sure sign that something was up.

That or she was just overthinking everything. It was a bad habit of hers, but one she was able to keep under control while around others. Being the eldest of the Saegusa daughters, but younger than her two brothers, she was in an odd position within the family. Every step of the way she would have to assume that things would affect the rest of her family, as well as herself.

It was why she was so determined to break this marriage contract. She wanted a say in her life for once. Being student council president hadn't been her choice, and neither had taking up the leadership of First High during the games. It was all to boost the reputation of her family.

So, if she were being honest with herself, Masaki's question about whether she was doing this to spite her family was true. She was doing it for that reason. But that didn't change the fact that she wanted a chance to know Tatsuya better, or see if he was the one that she was meant to be with.

Call her old fashioned, but Mayumi found herself to be a romantic at heart. She wanted a fairy tale romance like Mari's and Naotsugu's. She didn't just want to end up as another political tool to be used to further her family, or another family's, goals.

Pushing those thoughts aside, she turned her attention to the scoreboard. Despite her tiredness, she was still sitting at the top of the competition by a large margin. It was almost as if she wasn't straining herself to do this.

"You're doing well," Suzune said, walking towards her from her position on the sidelines.

Facing her friend, Mayumi gave her a smile. It was true, she was doing well, but there was still a lot of the day left and she didn't want to jinx anything.

"I can't rest yet," she said indignantly.

Suzune nodded, but seemed to be interested in a different topic than the match. Sighing, Mayumi debated whether or not she should speak about it here. There wasn't anyone nearby to listen in on their conversation, but Mayumi was unsure as to how her friend would react to the news.

Sure, Suzune was a relatively calm and collected individual, but that didn't exclude her from bouts of extreme emotion when she felt it was warranted.

"You want to know about the marriage, don't you?" she asked finally.

Suzune nodded.

"Mari mentioned it to me after the banquet last night. I thought I'd ask you for all the details," she said.

"Well, it's being dealt with. I've already spoken with Ichijou…"

"You're betrothed to Ichijou?" Suzune asked, interrupting Mayumi.

"Yes… didn't Mari tell you that?" she asked.

Suzune shook her head, frowning as her brow creased in thought.

"You mentioned that you're already dealing with it. What are you doing?"

"Not here," Mayumi said. "If you come by my room later, I'll tell you. I promise."

Suzune seemed to be fine with the idea, and Mayumi felt the building stress leave her body. She really didn't want to discuss her plan out in public; at least not again. After speaking with Masaki about it, she was satisfied that this was the last time during the competition that she would have to publicly discuss the topic. However, with friends who she tended to trust with almost everything, she forgot that informing both of them was necessary.

"I'll hold you to that," her friend said.

Collapsing onto the bench, Mayumi gave the girl a smile, before giving into her desire and downing more of her water.

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The preliminaries had been more than he had expected. Watching all of the competitors, Masaki was certain that there was no way that anyone could topple the Elven Sniper. Despite the best efforts of his upperclassmen, the results were clearly in Mayumi's favour.

"She's quite an impressive shooter," George said. "If it weren't for the fact that she's graduating at the end of this year, I'd be eager to compete against her in the next year's competition."

A smile broke across Masaki's face as he listened to his friend. Although it wasn't very noticeable, George had a vicious competitive streak. Whenever a possible competitor caught his attention, he would already start planning how he could beat them.

"Well, why don't you try to woo her over if you want that chance?" he said.

"Not interested. She seems like too much of a handful. I'd rather be with someone who doesn't have delusions of grandeur," George replied.

"You're not going for my sister you know."

George spluttered as soon as Masaki had finished.

"I would never…" the shorter teen started.

Before he could continue speaking the next round of the preliminaries started, drawing his attention back to the competitors.

"You're so single minded sometimes," Masaki said, chuckling as he shifted in his seat, making himself more comfortable for the next stretch of the competition.

"And you aren't? I know you're already planning out how we're going to win the Monolith Code," George countered.

"Yes, and it involves the data that you'll be gathering on our competitors in the next few days. I can't wait to get onto the battlefield."

Masaki smirked as he spoke, feeling very satisfied with the thought passing through his mind. He was eager to get to the Monolith Code event. The appeal of an open battlefield where he could fight for victory was strong. His status as a member of the Ten Master Clans, as well as a powerful magician with battlefield experience, had netted him leadership of the newcomer team.

It was an honour that he was eager to live up to. For that reason, he would be studying everything he could on the data that George had gathered. He wanted to know about all of his potential competition. So far, he had an idea in mind for a battle plan, but nothing could be solidified until he was certain of their lineups. From there, he and George would create something worthwhile of the future champions of the Nine Schools Competition. At least, that was the goal.

"And that concludes the preliminaries," the announcer's voice echoed throughout the stadium, drawing Masaki from his thoughts.

"Wait, what?" he asked, sitting up straight.

"We're now taking an hour break before starting the finals. We will resume at 14:15."

As the announcer finished speaking, the teen tensed up. He remembered that Mayumi had said she was going to start something in between portions of the competition. Placing his head into his hands, he hoped that he wouldn't get roped into whatever was about to happen.

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"Tatsuya-kun," Mayumi called out, her eyes alight as she saw the first year walking away from the stands.

Stopping a few feet away, the tall teen turned to face her as she approached.

"President," he started, his voice leaving no room for her to interpret what he was feeling. "That was an impressive showing."

Mayumi fought down the squeal of excitement that was building as he spoke. She had been starting to understand why Miyuki was always so excited when he would praise her.

"Thank you. Are you all ready for the newcomer's division tomorrow?" she asked, trying to be as even toned as possible.

"I'll do my best," Tatsuya said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go meet up with Miyuki."

Mayumi knew that she couldn't stop him from going to his sister, but she still felt deflated that this would happen. However, she kept a perky expression as he walked away. Letting him see her disappointment would just make her look childish, and right now was not the time for that.

"You know you could have just told him you wanted to talk longer. Tatsuya's attached to his sister, but he's not an asshole," Mari said as she approached.

Directing a glare of her own at the short haired teen; Mayumi puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, before crossing her arms underneath her breasts. Turning her face away, she tried to remain indignant, but couldn't keep up the act.

"Do I need to keep you up all night with stories then?" she asked, her mischievous nature coming out to play.

"Don't even think about it," Mari responded. "Now shouldn't you be getting some rest before the finals? We want you to win, after all."

Pouting, Mayumi knew her friend was right.

"Alright, I'll rest, but don't expect it to be for long. We still have to put up the strongest front that we can," she said.

"I get it, just go president," Mari said.

Mayumi nodded before moving off. Maybe catching a little bit of shut-eye would do her some good.

End Chapter 6

**A/N: Okay, another chapter done and ready for mass consumption. It seems I'll be taking the Nine Schools Competition slower than I thought, but things will be picking up in the next couple of chapters. Just need to get through the first day, and then the story will start to reveal itself. This is especially true since this is the first of a few stories that will play in this variation on the Mahouka universe. I've got plans for a Mikihiko centric story, as well as some other stories, floating about that will be hinted at (as well as the groundwork laid) through this story. **

**Anyway, I hope that this chapter was enjoyable, and that many of you will stick around for the next chapter. I appreciate any and all reviews, favourites and follows I receive. They all let me know that there's someone out there that wants to see this. So, until next time, **

**Merchant Prince**


End file.
